Phil 'Boomer' Denis was a voice for area sports

Published: Sunday, March 9, 2014 at 1:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, March 8, 2014 at 9:39 p.m.

It was 1977 in Manchester, N.H., and Phil Denis was a 25-year-old bureau chief at the Manchester Union Leader.

He was tired of the cold.

About then, as luck would have it, a job offer materialized at the Sarasota Journal. He decided to mull it over for a few days.

He headed out to his car, slipped on some ice and fell on his butt.

The decision was made. It was time to move to Florida.

Manchester's loss was Sarasota's gain.

For the next 37 years Phil 'Boomer' Denis covered sports for the Journal and Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

All types of sports. The White Sox during spring training, Florida State football, the Tampa Bay Bucs in their early winless creamsicle days.

Big-time sports.

But anyone with a pen and a little ability can do that.

He really made his mark on the fields and in the gyms in the Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte County area.

No sport was too small. No game too insignificant.

And he didn't really cover the sports as much as the people involved.

He loved talking to area coaches. Wrestling coaches, swim coaches, football coaches, Little League coaches, they all knew 'Boomer.'

In fact, many requested that he cover their games or tournaments.

Officials, trainers, clubhouse guys, scorekeepers, same thing, they knew him. He was out on the front lines and people couldn't wait to talk to him.

The truth is, he just really liked being a part of the action. Whether it was writing stories for the paper, scoring a Gulf Coast League baseball game, working the scoreboard at Ed Smith Stadium or helping a clubhouse guy do the laundry, Boomer wanted to be in the middle of the area sports scene.

“And it helped pay the bills,” he said.

I paid him a visit a few days ago. He was in a big bed, laying on his side, surrounded by big puffy pillows. We talked about mundane stuff for about 10 minutes and he nearly drifted off to sleep.

That is, until the subject shifted to sports and sports writing.

Suddenly, chatter filled the room. He talked about his many experiences recounting them clearly and with enthusiasm. I fired off a bunch of questions and he answered them as quickly as I could ask them. Your favorite game? Your favorite team? Your favorite athlete?

Then I asked him to tell me his favorite thing about sports and sports writing?

The answer wasn't a surprise: “The people.”

“I love watching a kid compete, that's probably why I like individual sports more than team sports.

“In individual sports there are no excuses, there is no blame, it's just a kid trying to win.”

He loved the people and the people he covered loved him. He made an impact.

'Boomer' first became ill in 2012 and received a liver transplant in January 2013. He recovered and returned to sports writing for the Herald-Tribune before getting sick again in Decemeber of 2013.

But he kept on writing. He wrote his final story, about a Class 1A-District 12 wrestling meet in Englewood, on Feb. 2.

Phil 'Boomer' Denis died early Saturday morning.

The Herald-Tribune staff, along with the many people that he covered over the past 37 years, will miss him.

<p>It was 1977 in Manchester, N.H., and Phil Denis was a 25-year-old bureau chief at the Manchester Union Leader.</p><p>He was tired of the cold.</p><p>About then, as luck would have it, a job offer materialized at the Sarasota Journal. He decided to mull it over for a few days. </p><p>He headed out to his car, slipped on some ice and fell on his butt.</p><p>The decision was made. It was time to move to Florida.</p><p>Manchester's loss was Sarasota's gain.</p><p>For the next 37 years Phil 'Boomer' Denis covered sports for the Journal and Sarasota Herald-Tribune.</p><p>All types of sports. The White Sox during spring training, Florida State football, the Tampa Bay Bucs in their early winless creamsicle days.</p><p>Big-time sports.</p><p>But anyone with a pen and a little ability can do that.</p><p>He really made his mark on the fields and in the gyms in the Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte County area.</p><p>No sport was too small. No game too insignificant.</p><p>And he didn't really cover the sports as much as the people involved.</p><p>He loved talking to area coaches. Wrestling coaches, swim coaches, football coaches, Little League coaches, they all knew 'Boomer.'</p><p>In fact, many requested that he cover their games or tournaments.</p><p>Officials, trainers, clubhouse guys, scorekeepers, same thing, they knew him. He was out on the front lines and people couldn't wait to talk to him.</p><p>The truth is, he just really liked being a part of the action. Whether it was writing stories for the paper, scoring a Gulf Coast League baseball game, working the scoreboard at Ed Smith Stadium or helping a clubhouse guy do the laundry, Boomer wanted to be in the middle of the area sports scene.</p><p>“And it helped pay the bills,” he said.</p><p>I paid him a visit a few days ago. He was in a big bed, laying on his side, surrounded by big puffy pillows. We talked about mundane stuff for about 10 minutes and he nearly drifted off to sleep.</p><p>That is, until the subject shifted to sports and sports writing.</p><p>Suddenly, chatter filled the room. He talked about his many experiences recounting them clearly and with enthusiasm. I fired off a bunch of questions and he answered them as quickly as I could ask them. Your favorite game? Your favorite team? Your favorite athlete?</p><p>Then I asked him to tell me his favorite thing about sports and sports writing?</p><p>The answer wasn't a surprise: “The people.” </p><p>“I love watching a kid compete, that's probably why I like individual sports more than team sports.</p><p>“In individual sports there are no excuses, there is no blame, it's just a kid trying to win.”</p><p>He loved the people and the people he covered loved him. He made an impact.</p><p>'Boomer' first became ill in 2012 and received a liver transplant in January 2013. He recovered and returned to sports writing for the Herald-Tribune before getting sick again in Decemeber of 2013.</p><p>But he kept on writing. He wrote his final story, about a Class 1A-District 12 wrestling meet in Englewood, on Feb. 2.</p><p>Phil 'Boomer' Denis died early Saturday morning.</p><p>The Herald-Tribune staff, along with the many people that he covered over the past 37 years, will miss him.</p><p>But we will not forget him.</p>